Nurses face nutrition test in bid to end NHS neglect

Nurses will be tested on how to feed patients after the Government admitted people were routinely neglected on hospital wards.

Health minister Ivan Lewis said elderly patients were being starved because food was put out of reach or inedible.

He criticised the NHS for failing to realise that food was the key to good health, and called for weekly weigh-ins of every patient and colour-coded trays to signal who needed help. The nutrition "action plan" comes after figures revealed a third of patients were malnourished.

But the scheme, which will not be compulsory, was attacked as toothless by patient campaigners.

Joyce Robins, of Patient Concern, said: "This Government is good at unveiling plans and launching initiatives but pretty hopeless at making them work.

"Unless a named person is made responsible for working of weigh-ins and other systems, and there are effective sanctions if they don't produce results, this will just be worthy words on paper."

The Government insisted today's announcement would be forced through, and asked the head of charity Age Concern, Gordon Lishman, to make it work. Figures show that more than 2,600 patients left hospital malnourished last year and the issue is thought to cost the NHS more than £7.3 billion a year, as badly fed patients stay in hospital longer.

Mr Lewis said: "There will be no overnight solution or magic wand but we have to change the culture which somehow says nutrition is not important."

He said nurses would be trained and tested in feeding and nutrition because they had "forgotten the basics."

Mr Lishman said the situation was so bad that families should bring in sandwiches to ensure patients were fed. "Relatives should talk to people on the ward about being there to help at meal times."

Nursing and Midwifery Council regulators have agreed that student nurses will have to pass exams in feeding from next year.

Mr Lewis also said nurses who failed to make sure patients were properly fed should be disciplined. His comments will incense frontline staff who say cuts across the NHS last year mean they are overworked.

The plan is backed by 25 groups including the British Medical Association.